William clark wood



2 Sheets-Shet 2.

(No Model.)

W. O. WOOD. GIRDER-RAIL AND ITS FASTENINGS.

Patented Apr. 14, 1891.

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NrTnD STATES XVILLIAM CLARK lVOOD, OF BROOKLYE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

THE LEVIS & FO\VLER GIRDER- RAIL GlRDER-RAIL AND ITS FASTENINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,594,.dated April 14,1891.

Original application filed May 9, 1889, Serial No. 810,135. Divided and this application filed November 1,1889. Serial Nor 328,906. (No model.)

Girder-Rails and their Fastenings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to girder-rails for different kindsof street-railways or tramways and it consists in such rails of a peculiar construct-ion, in combination with clamp-chairs peculiar thereto, and in certain novel combinations of parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

The objects of the invention are, first, to draw a rail downward upon its chairs by an equally-distributed and powerful wedgin g action, and by the same means to hold the rail down upon its seats on the chairs without perforating or notching the rail; secondly,to provide for automatically taking up the wear between a girder-rail of said peculiar construction and its chairs due to the longitudinal movements of the rail by expansion and contraction; thirdly, to provide for securely fastening down a girder-rail of said peculiar construction without perforating or notching it and at the same time forming the seat for the rail on its chairs within and immediately below the top of the rail, so that slight differences in height shall not materially affect the continuity of the tread of successive rails; fourthly, to provide for automatically drawing down a girder-rail of said peculiar construct1on upon such chairs as wear takes place, so as to keep the same practically tight notwithstanding the wear due to the longitudinal movements of the rail, as aforesaid, and, fifthly, to so fasten such rails by means com mon as to structure to the joints and intermediate fasteniugs and to both sides of the rail, so as to be adapted for general use throughout the system.

The present invention is a division of the improvement in girder-rails and their fastenings originally set forth in my application for patent filed May 9, 1889, Serial No. 310,135.

Two sheets of drawings accompany this specification as part thereof.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a crosssection of a girder-rail of said peculiar construction illustrating this invention. Fig. 2 represents an outerside view of the adjoining ends of two such rails with a double or broad clamp-chair fitted for use at joints. Fig. 3 represents a cross-section of the clamped rail and a corresponding elevation of one of the chairs. Fig. 4 represents an outer side View of a single or narrow chair wit-harail clamped thereon. Fig. 5 represents a cross-section through the way of a cable road, showing like clamp-chairs cast on a conduit-yoke. Fig. 5 represents, on a larger scale, one of the combined bolts and clam p-platesindicated in Fig. 5. Fig. 6 represents a crosssection of a groove-rail constructed and fastened according to this invention, and Fig. 7 represents a vertical section through 7 7, Fig. 6.

Like lettersof reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The rails R R are constructed with depending webs to at both sides, and these in turn are provided with outwardly projecting flanges f, preferably beveled on top. Being rolled hot, as is customary, the rails possess a considerable degree of elasticity, and their webs w consequently tend to spring back to their original set, (illustrated by Fig. 1,) when they are drawn toward each other, for example, as hereinafter described, and as shown in Figs. 3, 5, and G.

The rails B have a specially designed and preferred side-bearing top, and the rails R have a specially designed and preferred structed with upper ends or seat portions,

preferably fittcd'at top to the back of the top of the rail, including said groove g, which assists the inner web in resisting the tendency of the rails of a track to spread apart under strain. (See Figs. 3, 5, and 6.) Said seat portion of each chair extends downward as far i as the webs of the rail extend. .itand above the lower edge of the rail-webs the seat portion is narrower than the original width between the rail-webs, and immediately below this point each chair is provided with a boltway 75, through which a bolt IE or B or H extends from side to side As shown,said boltwayis tubular, but this is not considered material. At one or both ends of the boltway t each chair is further provided with a projection or projections, each of which has a face f located at its bottom and preferably bevl eled to match that of the rail-tlangefabove it, and each pair of clamp-faces thus formed 1 is embraced by a clamp-plate P or P or P or i P having flanges or projections with faces I matching those of the rail-flange and chair 2 projection, as shown in i, 5, and 6, and drawn into effective coaction therewith by the corresponding bolt.

The bolts B, Figs. to 4, are ordinary screwbolts with square heads it and nuts a, and are fitted with the washer-like clamp-plates I" and P or P and P according to the width of chair, each clamp-plate l having ribs r on its back to hold the head of the bolt, while the plates P P are without such ribs, so as to coact with the nuts a. Two widths of the plate P would be employed, corresponding, respectively, with P and P The bolts B Figs. Sand 5". have the clampplates P united therewith as heads, and their threaded ends eoact with nuts a and clamp-plates P or P as above described.

The bolt- B, Figs. (5 and T, has a hook it to coact with the flange f at the outer side of the rail and is titted with a clamp-plate P or P and with a key is, by way of illustration, at its other end.

The chairs 0, C and C terminate alike below their clamp-faces j" in knee-bases, which are fastened down in customary manner by means of bolts or spikes s to sunken crossties on foundations of any approved kind.

The chairs or rail-supports shown at C Fig. 5, are confined to the seat and clamp portions above described, and are formed on or cast to a conduit-yoke Y, which otherwise, together with its slot-rails S, may be of any approved pattern.

The term chair, as hereinafter employed, refers exclusively to said seat and clamp portions in'connection with a suitable base by which to fasten the chair down, as aforesaid, without limitation as to the shape or construction of such base. In connection with girder-rails of the peculiarconstruction hereinbefore described and ot' the proportions represented by the drawings it is essential that the seat portion shall project between the rail-webs, or, in other words, into or within the rail, and it is preferable that it shall lit the back of the top of the rail, as aforesaid; but for the purposes of the present invention such seat portion may have parallel vertical sides, as shown in the drawings, or may I be otherwise of any approved shape. "With of an inch wider apart at the bottom than at the top, as indicated in Fig. 1, so as to be sprung inward to parallel vertical planes in tightening the fastening devices.

Tarious modifications which have occurred to me as desirable for practical use have been shown and described. Other like modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

i do not claim herein the within-described rails having normallyflaring elastic webs adapted to be sprung into vertical planes at the fastening operation, nor such rails when constructed with lateral flanges beveled on topas shown, for example, in Fig. lbut have claimed the same as new manufactures in an application for patent filed October [3, 1890, Serial No. 367,233, and hereby disclaim said rails per se and every. new and patentable feature thereof in favor of said application, Serial No. 367,233.

llaving thusdescribed the said girder-rails and fastenings, 1* claim as my invention and desire to patent under this specification l. The combination of a chair having a suitable seat portion and provided with projections on its respective sides, having clampfaces at bottom, a superposed rail havinglat eraily-projecting flanges which extend outward above said projections on the chair, clampplates having wedging flanges opposed to said projections on the chair and said flanges on the rail at both sides of the rail, and a clamping-bolt which passes throughlsaid clamp-plates below the rail, substantially as hereinbet'ore specified.

3. A girder-rail having a top ofan approved section and a depending elastic web along each edge, provided at bottom with laterally-projecting flanges beveled on top, in combination with a chair having a suitable seat portion that permits the rail-webs to be sprung inward and a suitable base, and clamping devices, substantially as described, comprising a transverse through-bolt below the lower edges ot' the rail-webs and beveled flanges or projections which engage with those of the rail-webs at both sides of the rail, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

13. A girder-rail having a top of an approved section and a depending elastic web along each edge, provided at bottom with laterally-projecting flanges, in combination with a chair having a suitable seat portion projecting within the rail and constructed of less width than the original width between the rail-webs at bottom and a suitable base, and clamping devices, substantially as described, comprising a transverse throughbolt below the lower edges of the rail-webs and flanges or projections whichengagewith those of the rail-webs at both sides of the rail,

4 substantially as hereinbefore specified.

t. A girder-rail having a top of an ap 1 seat portions having parallel sides the elastic i rail-websareoriginallysetaboutthree-eighths ITO proved section and a depending elastic web along each edge, provided at bottom wit-h laterally-projecting flanges beveled on top, in combination with a chair having a suitable seat portion projecting Within the rail and constructed of less width than the original width between the rail-webs at bottom and a suitable base, and clamping devices, substantially as described, comprising a transverse through-bolt below the lower edges of the rail-webs and beveled flanges or projections which engage with those of the rail-Webs at both sides of the rail, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

5. A girder-rail having a top of an approved section and a depending Web along each edge, provided at bottom with laterallythe rail-flanges, a pair of clamp-plates having flanges or projections opposed to said faces and having central bolt-holes, and a clamping-bolt passing through said boltway from side to side, substantially as hereinbefore specified. V

\VILLIAM CLARK VOOD.

I \Vitnesses:

LoUIs E. ROBERT, A. H. DOLLARD. 

